I say go with the M3. Bimmers have a huge following of enthusiest behind them, especially M3s. The BMWCCA actually host quite a bit of fun events.

I tracked my 335 and now my M3 and have never had a problem with either of them at the track. The 4 year no cost warrenty is a big deal to me also. Also, the fact that when my car goes in for maintenance, BMW gives me a loaner BMW to drive. Who else does that?

Personally, I think the Caymen in the Prosche lineup is equivilient to the 1 series in the BMW lineup. Its for people who cant afford a 911 for the most part. Alot of car shows and websites are doing a direct comparisons of the Caymen R and the 1M. If you get a Caymen then you will have less practicality, less performance, and a higher cost. Yes you might be in the "P" club but you will be at the bottom of it whereas if you got the M3, you would be at the top of the BMW club. I really dont see anything that that the Caymen can offer you more then the Bimmer.

If I could get away with a 2 door, I personally would get the Caymen. It has that "presence" on the street and feels like your in a light and nimble race car. It just feels more racey and the PDK is sweet.

But for all around use, I love this M3. It feels different but in another good way, solid and predictable and the DCT is also awesome. I think the biggest thing the M3 has over the Caymen is the way you can set it up. 11 settings on the DCT, 3 settings for the dampeners, 2 settings for steering, 3 settings for throttle response. You can set it up for track use, hit a button and have a nice comfortable ride home. The duel personality and multitude of settings for track and street is something to love. Want the soft ride but gutsy throttle and shifting? You can have that whereas (at least the caymen I drove) you had an all or nothing sport setting and comfort setting. I love how I can pick and choose which behaviors I want from each individual setting.

Sounds like you'll be happier in the M3. I adore my M3 and the DCT literally surprises me everyday and makes me smile. Plus you have the creature comforts as well as an excellent track performer. Besides it'll only be a lease and after that you can stay or keep it moving.

Yeah those numbers look odd. The sedan is only 40lbs heavier than the coupe. The vert is pretty close to what you have but I'm pretty sure the Coupe was somewhere around 3680 wet and the sedan 3720, but I'm too lazy to confirm.

The weight also has a bearing on your track-related wear items: brake pads, rotors, tires. At low mileage you probably won't get into things like bushings and wheel bearings, but they're eventually going to go.

Porsche builds its sports cars to have enough stop and turn to survive repeated hot laps. BMW doesn't. You're going to have to - at the very least - switch pads and fluid in the M3 to match a stock Cayman. And in Florida heat at Sebring, these wear items don't last. And the M3 is going to pound through tires at a much faster rate than the Porsche.

If going to the track is that important, get the car that will last longer, go harder, be more reliable, faster, cheaper to run, and have better dealer support. We all know that's the Cayman.

For me personally, I used to be a huge track guy, more than 15 events every year. I went through the expensive process of converting an E46 M3 for track use, and after 23k miles and countless thousands spent in keeping the car safe, reliable, and competent on the track, I gave up and opted for a Porsche. There's no question in my mind a Porsche is a better choice for frequent track work. Add in the superior dealer network (IMO), and the choice is made for me.

That said, I prefer BMWs for the street. I like the lower profile, greater comfort, whiz-bang gadgets, and lower price point. That's why I'm choosing an E92 M3 over a Cayman variant or base Carrera. For the track, I drive Skip Barber MX5s.

Decision made, I have today purchased the 2011 M3 with Competition Package!
Very happy!

Congrats. Now go join BMWCCA if you haven't already. I found it curious you mentioned the Porsche club and social aspect, but didn't seem to realize that BMW has a great club too in BMWCCA. Maybe check out Oktoberfest this year at Barber Motorsports Park, which shouldn't be that far from where you live.

I loved my Cayman, so did my wife - great handling, fun track days, excellent dealer service, PCA club, the Porsche exclusivity factor. BUT my 06 CS engine blew at the track with 55K miles on it and the CPO warranty was not honored. Out of 11 track days it was trailered home 3 time due to breakdowns.
This CR is bare bones, A PDK is not available until next year. The gen 2 engines are supposedly more reliable.

I used to own and track a 04 BMW 330i ZHP - we also loved it, did 145K miles. Tracked it 15 times with no problems. Also a lot of fun, but not in the same league as the Cayman S. Dealer service was average, no club or social activity, no "P" factor.
This M3 is in a different performance league! It has DCT (which my wife wants this time), and is loaded with all the creature comforts.

I will be doing a 36 month lease, and the M3 will end up costing $5K less than the CR over that period. Also there will be no maintenance costs for the M3.

Convince me why I should come back to BMW...
How track reliable is DCT?

honestly....if you don't have any practical needs, than a Cayman R is far more 'pure' of a sports car than the M3 could ever be. The M3 is obviously a nice car with plenty of useable performance, but hardly has the sleep sports car look, and doesn't really match up to the direct performance of a Cayman S or Cayman R.

that being said, if you want some practicality----then the M3 is the way. If you don't need it----the Cayman R is the way.

You should also consider the TT-RS, which is an amazing car, with probably the best exhaust note of any car under $100k.

BMW will take off 10 pounds and price the car 4x what it should be. At least the Cayman R is 'Affordable'.

Porsche is the master of giving you less for more . They remove A/C, radio, road insulation, and even door handles from 'special editions', and you have to pay more . And sometimes A LOT more, but at least they throw a few HP more to keep suckers happy .

Yeah those numbers look odd. The sedan is only 40lbs heavier than the coupe. The vert is pretty close to what you have but I'm pretty sure the Coupe was somewhere around 3680 wet and the sedan 3720, but I'm too lazy to confirm.